"Graduators"

According to Naya, mommy and daddy were Graduators last Friday, the 21st!

Candid photo from Graduation!

We had a lovely graduation ceremony at the MTC, and both of us received a Bachelors of Intercultural Ministries! We are SO thankful to each individual and church who has stood beside us and walked with us through love and support (prayer, finances, friendship) during these 3.5 years of training! THANK YOU!

Noe's mom and Lisa's parents all came out to Missouri for our graduation, and we all flew back to Seattle together on the 22nd. We just enjoyed a lovely Christmas celebration with our families, and we look forward to these next 3.5 weeks to rest and be refreshed and spend more time with family, friends, and church family.

Naya singing a Christmas song at church
in Missouri

On Jan. 14th we will return to Missouri one last time for Lisa to take the Linguistics course. She will be in classes from 8 - 2 Monday thru Friday Noe has the -stretching- opportunity to stay home with the girls. He plans to teach them through the chronological Foundational Bible Teaching (FBT), do some casual/informal homeschooling (they will start formal schooling in the fall, most likely homeschooling), and also work on some Partnership Development.

In an upcoming blog entry, we will share about the Linguistics program, and we will continue to update you on our preparations for Papua New Guinea! We have been approved for membership with NTM, which will be effective in February.

In the next 1 - 2 months we will be sending out a newsletter with a few photos, info on PNG, and opportunities for you to get involved! With summer 2014 as our anticipated goal for departure, we can nearly begin a countdown with you- about 18 months! So again, thank you for walking with us, and we hope you will continue along this journey!

Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

~the Martinez Family

INADEQUATE & INSUFFICIENT!!!!

It's count-down time, folks! 4 WEEKS LEFT of classes here at the MTC! (We will graduate, become members of NTM, and Lisa will take Linguistics next semester.)

WHAT OUR TRAINING HAS NOT DONE FOR US:

• It has not given us all the answers.
• It has not given us full Biblical knowledge.
• It has not eliminated our fears and doubts in this life.
• It has not prepared us for every 'what-if'.
• It has not made us 'super-spiritual.'
• It has not qualified us in His sight for ministry.

WHAT OUR TRAINING HAS DONE FOR US:

• It has given us some answers, and increased our reliance on the Lord when we have no answers.
• It has given us better understanding of His Word, and more importantly, His heart & character.
• It has drawn us to the One who conquers our fears and doubts- He has overcome the world!
• It has given us tools to think and reason through 'what-if's', and practical tools for our well-being.
• It has shown us to be inadequate and insufficient, but shown Him to be more than sufficient for us!
• It has better prepared us for ministry, and allows us to be more effective in many ways.

We are SO incredibly thankful for the 3.5 years of training we have been so blessed to receive! We would've hopped on a plane several years ago, but we feel SO much more prepared having had this training- for remote living, for learning language and culture, for teaching the Bible with accuracy and understanding, and for planting/discipling a church!

We had a lovely Thanksgiving break, with some special family who flew out to Missouri from Seattle! This included a scrumptious turkey dinner, seeing the production of "Joseph" in Branson, and processing a deer (congrats, Jason!).

They got to sit in on our current classes as well:

• Evangelism thru Developing Church- this class is an in-depth consideration of presenting the Gospel for the first time and beginning to disciple new believers. We've discussed questions such as:
• In the culture of the tribe you are in, what will a meeting look like? (Men and women together? One teacher in the front?)
• What is the importance/what are the reasons for having separate meetings for the new believers (the church) and those who are still unbelievers?
• Semantics and Translation - this class walks us through every aspect of translating Scripture into another language. It is not enough to know the language- the culture and implications must also be understood. But also the parts of speech, and how the receptor language and culture order and perceive words grammatically and semantically! Often the FORM will be changed, but the MEANING must always be maintained! Our Bible Translation handbook asks:
• What is (the definition of) a "faithful translation of Scripture"? Essentially, it comes down to:
• Accurate/correct exegesis of Scripture, which conveys the original meaning
• Clarity & Naturalness- the receptors/hearers MUST understand it. The original meaning should come across in a way that an ordinary person in their culture can comprehend. (It shouldn't sound like a foreign way of talking!)

Thank you for your continued prayers and support! We hope to greet many of you over our Christmas break in Seattle.

With love,

~The Martinez Family

Connection Lost?

Imagine hanging up the phone like this: “Good bye! I’ll talk to you again in a few months.”  We had a mini 2-week 'taste' of this:  Practical Skills/Simple Living class, during which we cut ourselves off from modern conveniences .

Making flour tortillas with daddy

• We practiced ‘supply buying’- ordering our food for the next 2 weeks via radio, having another team purchase our supplies for us. We likewise shopped for a different team.
• Scratch cooking only- no kitchen appliances (incl. microwave, coffee maker, bread machine, kitchenaid, crock pot…), no prepackaged, instant, or processed foods.
• Internet and phone use: 1 hour per week (and no social networking, shopping, or recreational internet usage).



homemade soft pretzels!!

• Limited electricity: At 8pm each evening we had to turn off every light and rely on candles/flashlights.

The biggest impact this had on us was imagining what it may feel like to be out of touch with family and friends- both from the lack of face-to-face contact, and coming out of a culture so deep into instant social networking. In all honesty, it’s already been difficult over these years of training to be away from ‘home’- it is tempting to feel like we are forgotten about since we’re not there (and we’re still in the States with phones and internet!). We’re increasingly aware of the need to be encouraging each other as the Body of Christ and praying for one another. Challenge: Contact a missionary, or even a long-distance friend/family member! It will encourage them!

ready for our Practical Skills Outing!

In mid-October, we had a Practical Skills Outing (not a Family Fun Center type of “outing”, in case you were getting excited)… a wilderness camping experience. We used a compass and a map to locate our campsite (aka: random spot in the woods), and built a shelter (waterproof, ‘warm’) with tarps. Noe built a fantastic shelter (see photos), and we spent three chilly nights there with some of our classmates, with classes  (i.e. knife sharpening, chainsaws, chicken butchering, etc.), and cooking our meals over a fire. We also experienced some likely on-the-field scenarios, such as no power or no running water for 1-2 days.

working together to build our
shelter

the completed shelter!

Our Teaching Considerations class reminded us that the way and the method we use to teach Biblical truths in our Western culture may not connect at all with a tribal person’s culture and context!

Similarly, the Curriculum Development class emphasizes the fact that learning language is NOT sufficient for translating and teaching God’s Word in a way that the people will understand! A teacher of the Bible MUST understand the culture, beliefs, behaviors and motivations, and influences of the people being spoken to! We risk losing the connection if we do not consider these significant barriers to understanding and meaning!

Exciting news: 

The birthday girl!! (aka "Cinderella")

• 1.5 months left of our training! (Then next semester's Linguistics course for Lisa) 
• 1 year from now, we anticipate having just moved to Seattle to prepare for the field!
• Jocellyn turned 3 on November 2nd!
• We have finished developing new photo cards! Expect newsletters and photo cards in your mailbox (yes, your real mailbox) soon! If you'd like extras to share what we're doing with others, please let us know.
• We will be IN SEATTLE for Christmas break! Would you or your small group be interested in hearing from us/getting involved? We will be in the Northwest from Christmas until mid-January.

New Addition to the Family!!

This is not what you think.
In fact, it's infinitely better!

After years of training and preparation, three families moved to a small island in Papua New Guinea called Biem, and spent the last few years learning their language and culture. About 3 months ago (after many difficulties, including one of the wives going through cancer treatments- the Lord has now restored her health and they are back in the tribe!), the missionaries began teaching through the Bible, beginning with Creation. This is the first time the Biem people have heard the Word of God. TWO DAYS AGO, the Biem people learned of the crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ as payment for all sin. This is the first time they have ever heard the story of God's gift on their behalf- and some of them have believed!

It is a joy to share with you that YOU have new brothers and sisters in Christ on this small island in PNG!! There are now representatives from another tribe, tongue, nation that will be around the throne worshiping our God with you and with us!

We are finishing our CLA Practicum- below is a photo of us sitting and learning from our language helper in our 'village'. We have entered this village scenario 2 or 3 times a week.

• The first couple of visits we were simply learning how to function- how to greet, how to ask questions, how to be culturally appropriate. 
• The next few visits we did some language learning through the Total Physical Response (TPR) method- learning names of objects (house items, people, and ultimately some verbs to connect them). 
• Next we have been focusing on learning the culture of this 'village', and learning how to ask questions wisely (not yes/no questions, not motivation questions, etc...). 
• As we finish these last 2 weeks, our focus is diving into pieces of the culture we have been learning and from it, beginning to understand their worldview. 

If we skip learning the culture, how can we possibly present the Word of God to them in a manner they will understand? How could we possibly know how the concepts of God and the need for a Redeemer and the Person of Christ will impact/effect them?! We must learn before we teach. (Or they may simply add Christ to their list of 'things they must do' or 'gods we must appease' to be saved.)

In 2 weeks, we will finish that course and begin our Practical Skills class. This will include scratch cooking, a 'wilderness' camping weekend, navigation/survival skills, knot tying, etc...

In family news:

Church leadership from Seattle visiting the 'village' with us!

We just enjoyed some visitors from Seattle! The pastor and an elder/missions committee member from our sending church flew out to Missouri and spent all day Thursday with us, sitting in on classes, asking questions of staff and students, and having a tour of the campus. We were SO blessed and encouraged to have them come out and see the facility here!

Naya turned 5 years old on September 9th, and enjoyed a ballerina birthday party! The next day she began ballet classes at a studio about 20 minutes from here. She's having a blast! She also plays soccer recreationally every Saturday with some of her friends here.
Jocellyn is working on potty-training (I know, I know... you were dying to know that! But hey, I can't leave her out, right?)... She's just busy being cute (like her Grandpa), what can I say? :)

Too, To, Two, Through, You, Shoe, Blue, Flute, Suit, New, Flu

Learning the principle of Phonemics

Every one of the words in this blog title uses the same "u" sound, just spelled differently! In Phonemics, a class we took during our first week this semester, we learned in the context of other languages which of those words would be spelled with the phonetic "u" since the native speakers pronounce them the same and know their different meanings, and which of those words must be spelled differently.

For example, in English, we could not spell "too", "to", and "two" the same way: "tu", or else there would be too much confusion. However, we COULD spell "through", "blue", and "shoe" each with the "u" ("thru", "blu", "shu"), and no confusion would result.

We just finished our Literacy class last week. Practically, we put together a Literacy Primer, which is the method we will use in the tribe to teach the people to read and write in their own language. How many benefits can you think of for a tribal person learning to read and write in their own language?

Here are just a few:

• The ability to record their own personal and communal history in writing
• The creation of new jobs, both within the village and out in the town (where applicable)
• Can eventually learn to read and write in the national language, for better communication with other tribes and with the country itself
• Ability to record and read medical advice/information
• Ultimately, the ability to read God's Word for themselves in their own language!!

These are just a few of the benefits of Literacy. This often forgotten-about area in Church Planting is so important! Often the missionary women have the opportunity to teach Literacy, at least to other women if not to a mixed group (it is not authoritative spiritual teaching). This is yet another reason why it will be helpful for Lisa to take the Linguistics course in January.

Currently we are beginning our CLA Practicum. This is essentially a 7-week 'simulated real-life' learning experience, during which we have the opportunity/responsibility to apply many of the Culture & Language Acquisition (learning) principles that we have been learning during the last year. We expect it to be both fun and challenging, and humbling as we place ourselves into a vulnerable situation. It is exciting to do this, anticipating what it may very well be like entering a tribe for the first time, not knowing their language and culture.

Fall Kick-off at the MTC

Please join us in praying that we will be GOOD LEARNERS, diligent in our studies, and most importantly, that as we continue preparing for this immense, 'impossible' task that He will draw our hearts individually and collectively into His own heart- that we will be IN HIS WORD!

In family news- Naya will turn 5 on Sunday, September 9th! She is excited for the special opportunity to take some ballet classes this year, which begin on the 10th. Jocellyn is catching up to Naya in height (she has already surpassed her big sister in weight, haha!), and is growing more every day.

Naya and friends, happy to be back together!

Please also be praying for Noe and the rest of the Martinez family in the recent death of his father.

We are THANKFUL to be here, and THANKFUL for all of you who are standing beside us in love and support!

With love,

Noe, Lisa, Naya and Jocellyn

We may very well fly in one of these
planes someday! (Enjoyed our tour
in Idaho on our way back to Missouri)

Alarm Bells

"Hey! This will take us to Taco Bell!!!", Naya says excitedly, as she points to the bell-shaped button on the elevator.....

The kids really enjoyed our 3 nights in hotels during our 'long long long long long long long...' drive back to Missouri from Seattle. That is, all except for the 1.30am surprise fire alarm our final night, in Iowa!! :( (yes, it was a false alarm of course)

ENJOYING our old stomping grounds (Cannon Beach) ! 

The kids really are great travelers. Oh yes, plenty of whining and impatience (from all of us, not just the kids, you know...haha!), but all in all, we are very proud of them. It is 28 driving hours (plus the added cumulative hours for fuel and lunch and rest stops) at a minimum, and they've made this trip 5 times now. (God bless them!!)

Re-connecting with 'kids' from our
former Children's Ministry in CB!

We had a WONDERFUL summer in the Northwest! We hit the ground running, and stayed busy all summer getting together with friends, family, and churches. We enjoyed our 2-week visit to Oregon as well (not to mention the PERFECT weather we had there the whole time mid-70's, light breeze, NO rain!).

We were also thankful for the opportunities to share about our ongoing training with NTM. This is our last year of training, and then we plan to move back to Seattle as we prepare to go overseas.

Fun with the cousins! (kids' tea party)

If we didn't get a chance to get together with you this summer, please write or call us so we can be sure to see you next time we are in town (we will probably be in Seattle for a short visit over Christmas, and again next summer)!

We will post again soon about our classes as they start up next week! We are enjoying this quiet week of getting settled back in to our home and routine, and the girls are keeping busy playing outside daily with their many friends. :) Thank you for all of you who have come alongside of us in support and friendship!!


With love,

Noe, Lisa, Naya and Jocellyn

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!

Happy to be with family in Washington

As we back out of the driveway, the girls chant, "Wait for it... wait for it.... wait for it...." And as we leave "Ms. Esther's house" and drive down the hill, the girls sing, "WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!"

So it is with many smiles that we report to you that we are thoroughly enjoying our time in Seattle! We are so blessed to stay with "Ms. Esther", where we also stayed last summer. She is such a kind, gracious lady who has opened up the lower level of her home for us for the second summer in a row now. She is also understanding as we are continuously in and out, visiting/meeting with folks all over town or spending time with Grandma and Grandpa.

Since arriving in Seattle on May 31st, we've kept busy seeing family and friends and church families, and it has been just delightful! We are so thankful for your friendship and support!

Having fun at the Pacific Science Center

(We will also be visiting Oregon during the first half of July and hope to see many of you down in CB, Lincoln City, and the PDX/Tualatin area)

Please pray with us that we will have a summer that is both fruitful and restful- that as we continue moving in the direction of Papua New Guinea that the Lord will build our support team. Remember, it is not NTM that is SENDING us, but it is the body of Christ! It is YOU, brothers and sisters, through the many forms of support! We are not going alone, but you are essentially going WITH us to take the Gospel, in whatever capacity you are able to.

We are SO thankful for your interest and involvement, your obedience to Christ's command to "Go and make disciples of all nations..."

With love and thanks,

Noe, Lisa, Naya and Jocie

ps- Naya lost her first tooth recently, and she now has two more loose teeth... stay tuned for pictures! :)

"This is a FANCY Storm!"

Driving through the heart of a thunderstorm in Kansas, with torrential rain and bright sun breaking through, and lightning all around... Naya asked, "Is this a thunderstorm?" Daddy said, "Yes it is!" She responded, "Ohhhh, this is a FANCY storm!!"  

Here is a short "map" of our journey from Missouri to Washington for our summer break:

1. "Your Federal Flood Relief Tax Dollars at Work"

2. "First of the Rectangle States"

3. "If You Don't Ski, Don't Bother"

4. "Where Men Are Men... and the Sheep Are Scared"

5. "Our Jesus is Better Than Your Jesus"

6. "More Than Just Potatoes...Well Okay, We're Not, But the Potatoes Sure Are Real Good"

7. "Spotted Owl.... It's What's For Dinner"

8. "Help! We're Overrun by Nerds and Slackers!"

(source: http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/jokes/bljokestatemottos.htm)

If you figured them all out, congratulations! :)

One of the best signs we saw on our trip...

Needless to say, it has been a long road trip (but the girls have done exceptionally well!). We've traveled over 1800 miles, and we will drive the final 200 miles to Seattle this Thursday. We enjoyed seeing relatives and friends in Colorado over the weekend, and we just arrived in eastern Washington this afternoon to spend a couple days with some of Noe's family, including his mom, whom the girls call "Mama Mina".

We are SO thrilled for the opportunity to be in the Northwest this summer, and we hope to see many friends and family!

Yay!!

See ya round like a donut (attempting a creative way to end this blog...),

~the Martinez Family

Half Finish

Four weeks to go! The end of this semester marks the halfway point until the completion of our training with NTM!

We completed our Animism class in mid-March, which included a short module on Folk Religion. A Folk religion is a blending/merging of a high religion (such as Christianity, Islam, or Hinduism), and an indigenous/animistic religion. Refer to our March blog entry ("the D.R.D.O.") for an explanation of the Animism class.

Grammar class was a favorite for Lisa, but not so much for Noe (by his own admission). :) Rather than focusing on the English language, we worked out phrases, clauses, and morphemes for at least two languages (national or tribal languages) each day. The reason this is important is that the syntax, word arrangement, varies from language to language. A classic example is: English - big house, and Spanish- house big (casa grande).

Field Fair

In mid-March, we had a short break from classes for the annual "Field Fair". Representatives from all of the countries where NTM works came in to Missouri for a few days and shared the needs and opportunities in each country. It was encouraging (to see opportunities), sobering (to see how many language groups are still without the gospel), and confusing (so much information, where do we go?)! We are still leaning toward Papua New Guinea, but we are not firmly committed at this point.

We have been doing some small group studies from the book of Romans, discussing how we might answer some of those big, but maybe tough questions. Below are a couple of the questions we discussed:

• Can Christians please/displease God if they are already "made righteous/at peace with God/justified"? (Romans 6)
• How might you help someone who struggles with believing that an intangible God really loves them? (Romans 8)
• How might you explain to a new believer: "offer your body as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to Him"? (Romans 12)

We also have completed both the Parenting & Education class (discussing homeschooling and other options on the field), and Biblical Parenting- in which we read and discussed from Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp.

This week we will begin a Biblical Peacemaking class (conflict resolution among other concepts), and also to carry us through to the end of the semester is the CLA Methodology class. (CLA = Culture & Language Acquisition) We will share more about this class in next month's blog.

at the GO! St. Louis Half Marathon

In family news, Naya lost her first tooth on April 30th!
Also, Lisa completed her first half marathon in St. Louis on April 15th!

Next time you hear from us, we will be on our way or in Seattle! THANK YOU for walking this road with us!!

~the Martinez family

The D.R.D.O.

On the field, we will have to fight over the special title/role of "The D.R.D.O." That is, the Designated Refrigerator Door Opener!




That's right! In our Missionary Technology class (which we JUST finished on Feb. 29th), we have learned lots of helpful skills and concepts, of which one of the most important is that of conserving electricity and preserving the life of whatever appliances we have in a remote location. In a tropical climate, it is a much bigger deal to open your fridge or freezer! We will need to organize the contents in containers, keep moisture out, cover ice trays, and open/close it as efficiently as possible. This is something we don't think about too much in the States (other than the sensibility of not leaving it open!).

Looks simple enough, right?.....

We finished the Missionary Technology course with some small group labs- learning about Twin Tub Washers (goodbye giganto-normous 45-minute drop-it-in-and-go clothes washer!), LP Gas and Stoves, Ferro Cement, AC/DC wiring (not related to the band... sorry if you were confused) and Laptop Setup/Grounding (yep- a bit more complicated in the boonies!).

We also recently completed the Field Health course, during which we evaluated potential health scenarios in remote locations, discussed not only physical health but also mental and emotional health, AND we had an exciting practical skills lab! We practiced:

• giving each other a shot
• learned how to check vital signs (with a stethoscope, blood pressure monitor, and a mercury thermometer- remember those? Yeah... bringin' 'em back! Actually, it's because the wonderful, high-speed digital thermometers wear out too quickly, particularly in hot, humid climates.)



Learning how to give shots!

• checked each other's ears- including Naya's (!), with an otoscope, which we will need to add to our comprehensive Field Health kit (not your average, everyday first aid kit that you put in your beach bag- don't you?)!

Checking vita sounds .Naya
was a great patient!

Now we have begun our Animism class. What is Animism? There are many definitions, but here is just one:   “A worldview that understands human existence to be environed by numerous and diverse spirit beings and impersonal forces that affect human experience and well-being. It is held within this system that man can control or significantly influence these capricious entities by proper incantations, rituals, offerings, sacrifices, or magic to bring about desired outcomes. Animistic man’s regular pursuit is to stay in control of all aspects of life, with all things serving his will” (Worldview Resource Group)
It CANNOT be stressed how important it is to learn and understand thoroughly the worldview and belief system of a people group before sharing God's truth with them! This allows two things for the missionary:

1.  Truly understand the people's animistic worldview. In so doing, they learn exactly what and how they should teach God’s Word for optimum understanding.
2.  Share God’s truth in the context of trusted relationships. In the end, the people hear God’s Word from friends, not from strangers.

NOT just "traditional costume"- EVERY mark and EVERY different
piece they wear and have is significant- almost always animistic in
nature- for appeasing or warding off spirits

And have you recalled even from the tribes we have recently shared with you who have just heard the Gospel for the first time-- many, many testimonies from new believers who have realized how secure they are in their salvation by faith in Christ alone, as opposed to their former animistic belief systems? After all, how do we KNOW we are saved? Through Christ's perfect, once-for-all work on the cross! These new believers recognize that before hearing this, they were in fearful bondage, trying to work their way into appeasing the spirits they believed in- and it was never enough. Similarly, our works can never be enough- God required blood (death) as the payment for sin. But what is the difference between God and these 'spirits'? God sent His Son who satisfied our sin-debt completely! No continual appeasement necessary! No life lived in fear!
Likewise, these new tribal believers have been taught the Word from Creation through Christ- they understand that it is not "going to church" that assures them they are saved. It is not their family's belief that assures them they are saved. It is not "a happy feeling" that assures them they are saved, nor it is the desire to "do good". No, the assurance of salvation comes directly from the Word! It is plastered throughout! CHRIST IS ENOUGH!! It is not our works or feelings that convince us that we are saved. It is BELIEF, it is TRUSTING that what He has done was sufficient, and what He has declared in and through that! At the moment of salvation you were bought, you were sealed, you were justified, you were guaranteed eternal life with Him, you were adopted into His family... and more!

So what about you? In what are you determining if you are saved or not? Do you believe that His work was enough for you?
(Quite a challenging thought to end this blog entry!)

We're SO thankful to be here, and so excited for all that we are learning. We are continuing to converse with the field of Papua New Guinea. We'd ask for your prayers in that process!

~Noe, Lisa, Naya and Jocie

Logistics Support

(Recap): We have been posting some special Support blog entries to specifically address the SIX main areas of support, any of which you are welcome to be a part of! We would only ask that you prayerfully consider each one, and let us know if there is a specific area you'd like to be involved in! (some of you are already involved in one or more areas, for which we are deeply thankful!) 

To view the previous entries on Communication Support, Prayer Support, and Moral Support, click on this link: Support Entries

Logistics Support


What is Logistics Support?

First of all, it is an opportunity for various members of the Body of Christ, who have different gifts, to come together and use those gifts with one united purpose: to see the Gospel preached to the nations! You may very well be gifted in an area that would make you an ideal part of this team!

This area of support is best described by four of its main elements:


1) Accountability

"Is ministry really happening with our missionaries overseas?" Too often, the answer is a simple 'I don't know!' But by purposing to have accountability with missionaries, there is both the joy of being involved, and an ongoing reminder of the main focus and purpose for life and ministry.

2) Confirming and Encouraging Spiritual Growth

"Spiritual drought" is a tragic reason why up to 50% of missionaries do not complete or return from their first term overseas. Imagine moving to a foreign country, surrounded at best by a handful of believers who do not know you well, and who you only see periodically- oh, and no weekly church services! Oh-- and no streaming internet (yep, that's right, no logging on to listen to your pastor preaching). This is why it will be important to have some committed individuals who are willing to step into this crucial area of ministry!

3) Managing Business Affairs

Many missionaries are "sent" by a mission organization. But the reality is not so- particularly for us! We are with NTM, whose vision/purpose statement reads:: "...NTM exists to assist the local church through the mobilization, equipping, and coordinating of missionaries..." We are being equipped by NTM, but we are truly in partnership with YOU, being sent out BY YOU! True, NTM helps with some of the logistics. But the role of the church is crucial. Areas included are:

• Money - helping missionaries determine budgets, to see how they're doing, and to help communicate with their financial support teams...
• Taxes - as quoted by Neal Pirolo in Serving as Senders, "Don't let your cross-cultural worker become a horror story of trouble with the government!" Taxes still must be filed every year...
• Health - do you know if your missionaries have health insurance? Also, have you considered safety issues for your missionaries when they are overseas? Your response to that?
• Death - does the church have a plan in place in case of a missionary's death? Also, if a missionary has a close relative (i.e., a parent) that dies, what has been planned ahead for the missionary in that regard?

4) Attending to Personal Details

There are also many "smaller" things that must be taken into account:

• Material Goods - what is left behind that needs taken care of? (Car, house, storage of belongings, help renewing licenses, etc.)
• Family Matters - looking after their parents, caring for their children, housing college-age children who've come back for school, homeschooling assistance, even representing them at their own family gatherings!
• Ministry Needs - mailing items they need, or even special items they request, researching and sending tech equipment

Diligent, Detail-oriented, Punctual, Good Record-keepers are what is needed for this area of support.

If you feel like this is an area you could/would like to commit to now or in the future, we strongly ask you to get in contact with us! Have you thought of another way to support us through Logistics? Tell us about it!

"I Want to Go to a Trumpet Call! Not a Siren!"

Our friend couldn't have said it better, as we all huddled in their back room. It was after 11pm, and Noe and I were watching a movie in the living room. The girls and one of their friends were asleep upstairs (for a sleepover), when suddenly the tornado siren blared. This was the first time we'd heard it here in Missouri! 
Our friends' apartment building (whose daughter we had at our house for the sleepover) was built into a hillside, so we grabbed the girls and ran to their apartment, watching forks of lightning strike the surrounding hillsides, and feeling the drizzle of rain and the warm air. As our next-door neighbors followed us, a staff member opened his door and shouted, "3 minutes! It's 3 minutes away!!" So they darted across, and about 4 families were gathered together where we waited, prayed, and watched the weather radar online.
As you know (since we had no important news to send your way), there was no tornado. But we are thankful for the technology to track storms, and to warn us of potential danger! We were talking with our friends about having peace in the midst of such events, and I (Lisa) said, "I just would rather not go THAT way (through a natural disaster)." And our friend commented, as the subject says, "Yeah, I want to go to a trumpet call! Not a siren!"

All of this just is a reminder and a challenge-- am I keeping my eyes fixed heavenward? On Christ? Or am I looking at the waves around me and saying, "It's ok, come on over here and drown me!" Circumstances and pain are real, but so is Christ!!

Friends and loved ones- that is a lot of what we are studying this semester. Preparation and equipping for some of the "what-ifs". For example, we will be starting a course on Field Health in a couple weeks. Do you suppose that it is pleasant for us to think intently about malaria and dengue fever and snake bites as we prepare to take our family into a remote location? (No way!) But like the theme of this blog- these things are real, and it is wise to be prepared for them... but who is in control? Amen, it is Christ! We are thankful for our studies at New Tribes Bible Institute, and for the missionary teaching staff there who longed for us to understand these very concepts- that God is indeed sufficient in everything.

The first step for every believer in becoming prepared for life's trials? Spiritual prepartion. Know the character of your God! And the second step is physical preparation, which we are doing now.

Missionary Technology Lab

The classes we are taking right now:

Soldering Lab- yep, the moms need to learn too!

Student Teaching  course

• Missionary Technology - the "what"s and "how"s and "why"s of living in a remote location. How to design a solar electric system, water filtration, batteries (what kind to buy and how to charge them...), refrigerators and freezers, and the list goes on... we could devote a whole blog just to this class! Hmm, maybe we will! :)
• New Testament Church Principles - what does a mature church (a mature body of believers) look like? What elements of church life are important to you? And considering those- which of those are Biblical principles, and which are cultural? These are questions and thought processes we have been working through in this important course. In the not-so-distant future, when we look into teaming up with other families/individuals, these are conversations that will need to take place so that we are all on the same page. And MORE importantly, when a new church is born, what happens next? So it is important to examine what the Bible says, what was modeled, what was cultural, etc.
• Student Teaching - both men and women share testimonies, and also share from the Word. The women will likely have opportunities to speak to women in the near future, so practice speaking in front of others is important!

Has this blog resonated with you? We would LOVE to hear what He is doing in your life. How has the Lord been showing you that He is greater than your circumstances?

Trusting in Him,

Noe, Lisa, Naya and Jocellyn

Communication Support

(Recap): We have been posting some special Support blog entries to specifically address the SIX main areas of support, any of which you are welcome to be a part of! We would only ask that you prayerfully consider each one, and let us know if there is a specific area you'd like to be involved in! (some of you are already involved in one or more areas, for which we are deeply thankful!) 

To view the previous entries on Prayer Support and Moral Support, click on this link: Support Entries

Communication Support

"Out of Sight, Out of Mind!"

The goal of Communication Support is to eliminate/avoid the above quote!

It goes without saying that Communication Support is a two-way street. Without communication on either end, the list of negative side effects is perhaps endless. But if communication on both ends is strong, the list of positives is long and joyful!

Communication Support lies in between Moral Support (encouragement) and Logistical Support (information). We highly value it, and we know that there is too often the case of little - zero communication between missionaries and supporters/churches.

One side to this area of support is YOUR communication with US, as our brothers and sisters in Christ... as our friends, as our accountability partners.

Ways to Support Through Communication:

• Writing letters/emails/Facebook - even selecting a certain day each month to send us a quick "hello"
• Write about how you are doing personally
• Write about church and community life and events
• Write to share encouraging things you've read or heard or sung... etc... You never know when God will speak through you!!
• Phone calls/text/Skype - just to say hello!
• Send photos (mail or electronically) ~ it's the only time we get to see your face!! This gives us the opportunity to put up photos to pray for you and revisit memories
• Create videos
• Record your small group some evening
• 'Interview' people at church- ask them a question, or give them the chance to tell us something... or introduce us to new members of the church... etc!
• Make a silly video just to make us laugh, or a 'video tour' of our hometown (just for fun!)
• Don't forget the kiddos! Our kids love your kids... this is a fun way to keep a friendship going
• Care packages
• Come and visit us!!

The second side to this support is OUR communication with YOU. It is just as important that we are faithful in keeping you updated on all of life's happenings. We want to be consistent at writing, calling, sending photos, and just communicating with you in general!

If you feel like this is an area you could/would like to commit to now or in the future, we strongly ask you to get in contact with us! Have you thought of another way to support us through Communication? Tell us about it!

Fastbreak

Yep, our trip to Seattle over Christmas break was as fast as toasting a pop tart. :) (ok... here it is, a clip from stand-up comedian Brian Regan on the complexities of toasting pop tarts!) Brian Regan: Pop Tarts

Spending time at Lincoln Park
with Grandpa and Grandma

The girls loved seeing their
cousins!

We flew to to the PNW on December 14th, and just returned on January 10th. Being a bit tired, we decided beforehand to include more rest/down time than we normally do. This proved to be a much-needed refreshment for both of us. The girls thoroughly enjoyed their time with the family- grandparents, cousins, uncles and aunties, etc.

Naya enjoying some Dim Sum

We loved worshiping with our churches in Seattle, and we are thankful for the two lovely evenings we shared with many of you for our small group evenings. It was encouraging for us (and hopefully for you too!) to share pictures, videos, stories, and details about our classes. We hope you realize that the opportunity to share with YOU what we are doing in detail makes us feel connected with you even while we're living away! We don't ever want to be "the missionaries out there", rather we want you to be involved and aware of what we're doing, and where we are! So a big THANK YOU for your involvement with us!

CHRISTMAS.... Do you remember recently hearing about the Siar tribe in Papua New Guinea, hearing the Gospel for the first time? Well, the new Siar believers celebrated the birth of Jesus for the first time this year! That means they joined YOU in giving praise to God for sending His Son on their behalf. Here is the link to the story if you want to read all of it: http://usa.ntm.org/field-news/christmas-for-siars

Next Wednesday, the 18th, our 2nd semester here at the Missionary Training Center (MTC) begins. We will be taking more practical skills classes, including Grammar, Field Health, and Missionary Technology (how to live in a remote location). Also, we'll have more classes about the principles of church planting, such as New Testament Church Principles, Animism, Folk Religion, and studying through Romans.

Naya sharing her song with
"Great Grandma Hippie" on Christmas day

Lastly, as many of you know, we are strongly considering the field of Papua New Guinea! We would love your thoughts and prayers as we look into it more this spring.

Thank you for your friendship, love, and support!

Great Grandma Roe and her 5
great-grandchildren!

~The Martinez Family